Golden Dreams
by MoonGirl1155
Summary: He was always there for her, in her dreams. Over the years, Sandy grows fond of the beautiful young believer and her love for dreams. But will he be able to make her dreams come true? (Sandpunzel)
1. Childhood is Golden

**Author's Note: **

**Okay, I decided to write something a little new. It's called Sandpunzel. Yes, this story will have romance and fluff in it, along with the occasional deep sadness...because I mean, come on, we all know I can't write anything without trying to break some hearts. I really hope you enjoy my story!**

**Important Note: Sandy appears to be a twenty year old man in this story. He is exactly five feet tall and kinda chubby, so he isn't too far fetched from the original animation. **

**Please review, favorite, and follow! :)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1:**

Rapunzel peeked out from underneath her covers, searching through the darkness for a sign of light. There was nothing but blackness, but she didn't allow that to discourage her. She waited patiently, hugging her pillow tightly, staring at the door in anticipation. Even though her bedtime had arrived ages ago, she was wide awake, and couldn't contain her excitement.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the heavy wooden door creaked open. Golden light extinguished the shadows and a smile stretched across the young girl's face at the sight of her friend. Her only friend.

The Sandman.

He was clad in saffron, Arabian-styled robes and slippers with curled toes. His pointed hair and round face made him resemble the sun, and his gentle golden eyes matched his compassionate smile. His entire being seemed to glow with yellow light, and his magical sand sparkled. She leapt out of bed and ran over towards him, embracing him in a tight hug. Her face was buried into his stomach since he was short, well, shorter than her Mother. But still a good two feet taller than she was. His chest vibrated with silent laughter, and she tilted her head upwards so she could see him.

"Today is my eighth birthday," Rapunzel whispered, careful to be quiet so Mother wouldn't hear. Even though her Mother was sound asleep, she could be woken easily. Sandy nodded, showing that he was aware of the importance of the date. She pulled away and took his hand, and they tiptoed down the stairs and to the window. Sandy helped her push open the shutters and her eyes widened as she gazed upon the dazzling night sky.

The lights danced across the navy blue canvas, brilliant shades of white and gold, covering the world in beautiful radiance. She marveled at the sight, and leaned against the windowsill, staring at the magnificent display the heavens were putting on for her special day. Every year on her birthday, the lights came again annually up at midnight. She looked forward to seeing them all year round, and always wondered what they could be. Stars? Fairies? Magic? She dreamed of leaving her tower to go and see them, to discover what they truly were. As she watched the twinkling lights in awe, she couldn't help but feel in her heart that they were meant for her.

Sandy was watching her with a big smile on his face, content with seeing the happiness the lanterns brought the young girl. She was a dreamer, that was for sure. He wished he could bring her out of her tower, but he would wait until she was older and mature enough to leave her Mother behind. If that day ever came, the two were inseparable. He had a fondness for the child, and her pure heart and enchanting imagination lured him to her. He had watched over her for her entire childhood, for that was his duty, as a Guardian. He had decided to visit her outside of her dreams once he realized how badly she needed a friend, and now they were closer than ever.

Sandy formed a flower over his head, which was how he addressed her to get her attention. Rapunzel tore her eyes away from the lanterns for a second and smiled at him.

"Yes, Sandy?" she asked softly.

The stout man pointed up at the bright display and created an image of the two of them playing among the lights. He was trying to tell her that one day, he would take her to see the lights. Rapunzel seemed to understand, she had practiced understanding his special language for a long time, and she grinned joyfully.

"Promise to take me one day, will you, Sandy?" she begged, and in response he took her tiny hand and squeezed it lightly, nodding his head.

"_I promise_," the words were written above his head in lemon ink, and that promise bonded them closer than the two could ever imagine.

* * *

Rapunzel played with her dolls, changing her voice to a high pitched squeak to make her toys speak. She wasn't sure how to make the boys sound, since the only man she had ever met was Sandy. He didn't speak, instead he make signs with her magical dreamsand. She always wondered why he didn't talk, but she never asked. She would question him about it someday.

She looked closely at her two dolls, and found herself suddenly wishing for a playmate. Mother would never play with her, and Sandy was too busy bringing dreams to the world. She knew that he had important jobs to do since he was a Guardian, which meant that she rarely saw him and that most of his visits occurred at night. She missed Sandy. She wanted a friend to play with.

Rapunzel dropped her dolls and left them on the tiled floor, she was too numb to care. She often found herself in this state, empty and alone to the point where she was practically depressed. It wasn't healthy for a nine year old girl, but it couldn't be helped. She sat up on the windowsill, watching the sun slowly descend below the horizon. Mother would be home soon. She had left the tower to go buy food and supplies from the market. She didn't know what a market was or what it looked like, but she knew that other people were at the market. She wanted to meet other people too. She had asked Mother to go, but she had refused to bring her along. Maybe when she was older.

Suddenly she spotted a golden cloud in the distance, and a smile lit up her face. It was Sandy! The yellow mass of sand approached her tower, and soon enough her one and only friend floated down to greet her. She laughed, a bubbly sound, and reached out to grab his hand. He smiled warmly at her, pulling her up onto the sandy platform beside him.

"Sandy! I'm so glad to see you!" Rapunzel exclaimed, and Sandy motioned that he felt the same way. She gazed down at the ground a hundred feet below them and for some reason she didn't feel afraid. If she fell, she knew that Sandy would catch her.

"I've missed you…I have no one to play with…it makes me feel sad…" the young girl explained glumly, and Sandy nodded in understanding. The girl was lonely beyond belief, yet she was too young to realize how alone she truly was. He was thankful that he was there for her so she had someone to confess her feelings to. Her Mother was an awful listener, and a terrible parent overall.

All of a sudden the Guardian of Dreams sprouted an idea, and a light bulb went off over the top of his head. Rapunzel cocked her head to the side, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and he gently placed the child on the windowsill before flying down to earth. His tendrils of dreamsand stretched out into the bushes and into the forest beyond, and after a few seconds of waiting, they returned with the perfect playmate for his flower. He smiled and ascended back towards the tower, hiding his present behind his back.

"Sandy…what is it? Show me!" Rapunzel giggled, trying to peek behind his back. He unveiled his surprise and she gasped. A tiny grin chameleon stood in his palm, and the creature matched the girl's curious expression. A grin stretched across her face and she took the small animal delicately in her hands, hugging him to her cheek. The chameleon licked her face affectionately, and she giggled with delight.

"I'm going to name you Pascal!" she declared, and the chameleon nodded his head in agreement. Rapunzel squealed with happiness and rushed inside to play with her new friend.

Sandy floated out the window, smiling. This was the part he loved most about being a Guardian, seeing the kids. Seeing Rapunzel.

* * *

On the day of her tenth birthday, Sandy remained with the girl, even though it was daytime. Their typical routine was that he would only visit her once the sun had set, since he was so busy carrying out his Guardian duties. But people could still dream without him for a few hours, sleeping wasn't impossible without his assistance. He had waited up on the roof until Rapunzel's mother had left the tower, and then flew inside. The young girl was already expecting him. Her vibrant emerald eyes lit up at the sight of him and she ran over and gave him a hug. He chuckled, he had seen her only last night, she couldn't have missed him too much. But he knew that she loved to give free hugs and didn't question them. She beamed up at him.

"Mother got me special paint for my birthday!" Rapunzel exclaimed excitedly, and showed him the jar of ivory liquid. He smiled, knowing that expensive paint like that was difficult for her Mother to purchase. The little girl marveled at the paint, and then tilted her chin up, examining her canvas. The blank state of which she was going to create art upon: the ceiling.

"I think…I'll paint the stars…up there!" she decided, and the green chameleon on her shoulder nodded his head in approval. But then the girl frowned, "But how am I supposed to reach the roof?"

Sandy smiled and tapped the child on the head, getting her attention. He motioned for her to climb up onto her shoulders. With a questioning look she did as he asked, and once he held onto her ankles securely so she wouldn't fall, he floated up towards the ceiling. She giggled and then rested her paint materials plus Pascal on the bannister, smiling down at the stout golden man.

"Good idea, Sandy!" Rapunzel praised, and he reflected her smile.

Then a young, ten year old girl who was balancing on top of an immortal Guardian's shoulders, began to paint her dreams.

* * *

"_Mother, why can't I go outside?_"

Rapunzel hugged her stuffed doll to her chest, recalling the conversation that had taken place earlier that day.

"_Because the outside world is a dangerous place_."

Her eyes bounced across the floor, eyeing every shadow suspiciously.

"_What is dangerous about it?_"

The young girl heard an owl hoot outside and she nearly screamed. She buried her face in the pillow and took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm her racing heart.

"_Ruffians, thugs…everyone out there would want to keep your hair for themselves, flower. You wouldn't survive a second on your own. They would eat you up._"

Horrific images coated the inside of her eyelids, and she recounted her nightmare. Frightening men clad in dark attire broke inside of her tower and murdered her mother with sickening toothy grins. Then they had ran after her with burlap sacks, and she had woken up before anything worse could happen. Tears pooled at the bottom of her jade orbs at the memory, how could something so terrible ever happen? She trembled in fear, afraid of the reality of her nightmare. If she ever went outside, something along the lines of her bad dream would surely happen. Her Mother had told her so.

Suddenly the room was illuminated and she lifted her head curiously, sniveling. Her closest friend stood in the doorway, frowning at her in concern.

"I had a nightmare," Rapunzel sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve. Sandy nodded in understanding, he knew how terrifying bad dreams were for children. They could crush happiness in an instant. He crossed the room towards the girl and gave her a hug, comforting her. It was his duty as a Guardian to defeat nightmares and restore wonder and joy in every child, and it was his job as a friend to protect Rapunzel from fear and sadness.

Lemon letters scrawled in cursive formed above his head, "_Don't worry flower, they are just bad dreams. They can't hurt you._"

Rapunzel read his words and nodded in understanding, breaking his hug. She would be brave. She had nothing to fear, as long as she remained safe and sound in her tower. With assistance from the Guardian of Dreams, she was tucked back under the covers snugly. She smiled up at her friend as her eyelids started to droop.

Rapunzel drifted away to sleep, and her dreams were full of happiness and joy.


	2. The Gift of a Friend

**A/N: Please read, review, favorite, and follow! Thanks! :) I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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**CHAPTER 2:**

"Mother…I have something to ask…" Rapunzel said tentatively, leaning against the doorframe of her mother's bedroom. Her mother didn't even glance up from the quilt she was sewing to answer.

"…I would like to go…outside," she said softly, and with this the woman lifted her gray haired head and her eyes turned cold. The thirteen year old girl swallowed, she had known that doing this would be a bad idea, but she had never requested this simple thing from her parent before and was curious if she would say yes. Rapunzel prayed that she would agree.

"What?"

The girl took a deep breath, determined to keep her resolve, "Only for an hour, maybe two, right here in the meadow—"

"Rapunzel, what did I tell you about outside?" the blonde could tell that the woman was struggling to restrain her frustration, and she rested her head in her hand, rubbing her temple.

"…that it's dangerous, I know. But if I stay right there then—"

Her mother abruptly cut off her sentence, "Dangerous, precisely. You'll be staying in here, where you're safe."

"But mother—!" Rapunzel protested.

"Enough, Rapunzel!" her mother rose her voice, ever so slightly, but the reprimand was enough to send the girl crawling back to her room, collapsing on her bed in a heap. She blew a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and frowned up at the ceiling. She just wanted to go outside! Even if it was for five minutes, standing at the foot of the tower, she would be satisfied! One moment, that was all she asked for, but she had nothing! _Nothing! _The girl wished that her mother wasn't so outrageously over-protective. She knew of the dangers of the outside world, but surely nothing bad could happen to her if she stayed in the meadow right there?

Rapunzel was bubbling with teenage angst and decided to read. She skimmed through her three books, ones she had read a dozen times before, bored to death. Her mind was full of fantasies of the world she was sheltered from, wondering about how beautiful the ocean in her story would be…what boys were like, other than Sandy…what it would be like to meet other people than the two adults in her lives. She wished that her mother could see the Guardian of Dreams, then maybe he could convince her to allow her outside.

By the time she had finished reading, the sun had set below the horizon and the books slumped against her chest. Her head lolled to the side and the Sandman flew through her window, floating up the short staircase towards the girl's bed. He smiled seeing that she was peacefully asleep, and frowned when he sensed her unrest. She was clearly troubled by something. He neared her bedside and saw the hand of a fearling underneath the child's bed, ready to reach out and stomp her dreams to dust. Sandy scowled and crushed the creature, making it howl with pain before disappearing.

Sandy glanced at the face of his precious flower and knew that the nightmares would attack her if he left. He granted her an especially powerful, happy dream, and instantly the young girl grinned in her slumber. He pulled out a chair from the corner and sat in it, deciding to guard her for the rest of the night. Rapunzel's tower was always his last stop every work shift, and besides, he could send people dreams from here.

The sandman protected the girl from harm until the break of day, and when she opened her ivy green eyes, there wasn't a single trace of him except for Rapunzel's mind, full of happy thoughts and dreams.

* * *

Bedtime stories were always the best.

Rapunzel looked forwards to them every single night, and as long as she could stay awake, she would wait anxiously while hugging a pillow to her chest. She would never have to wait too long for her Guardian to arrive. Sandy would float through her door and smile, wave, and she would tell him about her always uneventful day as he sat down at the foot of her bed. She would pester him for a bedtime story, and after a silent chuckle, he would comply.

Even though Sandy was mute, he was the best storyteller she knew. He would weave golden sand through his fingers, creating magical glowing creations that danced around her room. They would tell tales of brave, daring adventurers out at sea, battling epic monsters. The entire room would be covered in gold, painting a majestic moving masterpiece that would set a sparkle in the young girl's eyes. She had never seen any of the things Sandy told his stories about, but that was the point. Why would she want to see bedtime stories about towers? No, Rapunzel loved the stories because she could see the entire world in her tiny little bedroom.

Tonight, though, Sandy told a different story.

"_Once upon a time…in a kingdom far, far away…_" Sandy began, and a castle on an island of dreamsand materialized out of thin air, "_There was a queen who was about to have a baby, but she was very sick. So, the entire kingdom searched and searched for a cure that would heal the queen._"

Tiny little soldiers climbed over golden mountains, rode through forests, and sailed across oceans.

"_They had heard of a magical flower that had the power to heal the sick, and were hoping to find it. One day, they did. Growing on the banks of a river, a glowing flower from the sun grew,_" Sandy's written words scribbled themselves out above the image of a beautiful flower, and a group of soldiers digging it up and taking it back to the castle.

"_The flower healed the queen, and the kingdom was happy_," Sandy finished, and the sand vanished.

Rapunzel frowned, "That's _it_?"

The Guardian of Dreams arched an eyebrow in questioning.

"That was a pretty lame story, Sandy, no offense," the girl pointed out. Compared to his other tales, this one was less than standard. The yellow robed man smirked a little at her response, he knew that she preferred stories full of action. But he hadn't wanted to tell her the rest of the tale, for it had a sad ending.

"Come on, there has to be more than that!" Rapunzel insisted, and Sandy sighed, before continuing.

"_The king and queen had a baby girl, but a few days after her birth, she disappeared from the face of the earth. The entire kingdom was devastated._ _Every night on the princess's birthday, the king and queen would launch thousands of floating lanterns into the sky, in hope that their daughter would return_."

With a flourish the room was filled with tiny golden lanterns made of sand, and Rapunzel reached out to catch them in her palms like fireflies. But soon the sand dissipated, and she frowned up at her Guardian.

"Sandy…is the story over? But, didn't they find the princess?" she asked, and Sandy shook his head.

"That's…sad…" Rapunzel whispered softly, she felt bad for the lost princess. She would hate to be taken from her mother, "Never tell that story again, alright? It's too sad…I don't like it."

"Me neither," Sandy nodded his head in agreement, "Me neither…"

* * *

"Sandy, what's _dancing_?" the fifteen year old girl inquired, lifting her head from the book she was reading. Her mother had gotten her a new book for Christmas upon hearing that she had fully memorized the other three that she already owned. Her mother had only been convinced after hearing three chapters of the first book, recited perfectly.

Sandy smiled at the girl. He wasn't surprised that she didn't know what dancing was, she was so hidden from the rest of the world, he had a feeling that she would know absolutely _nothing_ if he wasn't there to function as her own personal dictionary and teacher. A paragraph of golden script formed above his head.

"_Dancing means to move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps_," the Guardian explained, and she nodded her head lightly, and then asked:

"What's _music_?"

Sandy tried not to frown. It was depressing that a child didn't know anything of music or dancing, it was a miracle she seemed so happy. She didn't know that there was anything better than outside of her tower.

"_I'll show you_," Sandy replied, and molded a tiny little music box out of dreamsand, beckoning for the girl to come forwards. She peered at the box with curiosity, and before she could question him about the square object, he lifted the lid, and music came pouring out.

Rapunzel's green eyes widened, she had never heard anything like it, and she knew that the beautiful sound coming from the box had to be music. She smiled broadly.

"Wow…it's amazing…" she breathed, and Sandy grinned, enjoying the delighted reaction he was evicting from the girl. She beamed and began to hum along to the cheery tune, and spun around in a circle, arms outstretched. She spun faster and faster, and started dancing, although she didn't know it. She swayed in time to the music and lost herself in bliss.

"Come on Sandy! Dance with me!" Rapunzel exclaimed, giggling, and grasped his arms. They spun around in circles, feet smiling and laughing and humming, and the song repeated itself countless times that night.

The next morning when Rapunzel awake, a real wooden music box was resting on her nightstand.

* * *

Rapunzel danced through a field of flowers, daises painted with vibrant hues of pink and orange, contrasting with the blue of the rushing river and the green of the soft grass beneath her feet. She spun in circles, her hair waving in the wind, and she felt weightless. Birds sang and bees buzzed, and the music of nature echoing in her ears. She was free, merry, and overjoyed. She sighed and laid down in the flower patch, smiling up at the golden sun. She closed her eyes, drinking in the warmness.

When she opened her eyes, she was back in her bed, back inside her tower.

A sixteen year old girl laid awake in her bed, recalling the previous night's dream with a deep sadness that she didn't know she could feel. Tears streamed down her face, and she felt an uncontrollable longing, one that would never be satisfied. She nuzzled her cheek into the pillow just as a familiar figure snuck into her bedroom, summoned by her cries.

A sturdy hand rested on her shoulder and Rapunzel looked up, seeing a blurry outline of Sandy through teary eyes. The golden man brushed the water droplets off of her round cheeks, frowning at her in concern. He formed a question mark above his head, wondering what was troubling her.

"I want to see the flowers…" she hiccupped, and Sandy nodded sadly. He understood why she was weeping now, she wanted to leave her tower. He stood up slowly and exited the room quickly, leaving her alone.

Rapunzel dried her eyes and sat up, confused, and watched him go. Why was he leaving? She climbed out of bed and followed the sound of his footsteps down the stairs and towards the window.

Sandy was sitting on the windowsill, a cheerful smile on his lips, as he held a bouquet of tulips out towards her. She mirrored his happy expression and took the flowers from him, pecking him on the cheek.

"Thank you Sandy, they're beautiful," Rapunzel said gratefully, and skipped off towards her bedroom to find a vase. She missed catching a glimpse of the blush on his cheeks.


End file.
